Striker Yahaya Mohammed 'deceived' Kotoko to sign for Libyan club

It has emerged that midfielder Yahaya Mohammed deceived managers of Kotoko to carry out his plan of travelling to Libya to sign a contract without the knowledge of the club’s managers.

The rugged midfielder was at the centre of intense media discussions last week when news broke that he has signed a contract with Libya’s Al-Ittihad when neither the Libyan club nor Yahaya Mohammed formally notified Kotoko.

Acting Manager, Opoku Nti read the story of his signing of a new contract on the internet. His colleague on the Kotoko managerial front, George Kennedy, equally heard it via the media and just like the two Kotoko managers, many supporters of the club were totally infuriated by the player’s attitude, which they said smacked of utter disrespect.

In a letter to the Player Status Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), dated February 24, 2014, Kumasi Asante Kotoko appealed to the FA’s committee to examine the attitude exhibited by the player and further advise the club on the action to take on the issue.

The letter said, Yahaya Mohammed requested his passport under the pretext of going to renew it but he absconded to the North African country to sign a contract. “He came for his passport, telling us that he was going to renew or take a new passport” but that turned out to be “a lie not knowing he wanted the passport to travel to Libya to sign a contract” said the letter.

Yahaya Mohammed therefore “played on the intelligence of the club for his selfish aim” it added. The letter duly acknowledged the FIFA provision that gives players the legitimacy to initiate negotiations with a new club when their contract is due to expire within six months but it stayed away from making any conclusive judgment.

Article 18 (3) of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players states “A club intending to conclude a contract with a professional must inform the player’s current club in writing before entering into negotiations with him. A professional shall only be free to conclude a contract with another club if his contract with his present club has expired or is due to expire within six months. Any breach of this provision shall be subject to appropriate sanctions”.

It is not clear when the GFA’s Player Status Committee will comment on Kotoko’s letter but even before the committee comes out; it is being argued that given the fact that, Al-Ittihad didn’t inform Kotoko officially of their intent to sign Yahaya Mohammed as demanded by the FIFA provision, they could fall foul of the FIFA regulation.

Yahaya Mohammed who has subsequently apologized to the Kotoko leadership through media interviews could be punished especially by Kotoko on moral grounds or the fact that he did not seek permission to travel or the fact that he deceived managers of the club.